Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood: The NGOization of Palestine

In this article we examine the shifting roles played by non-state actors in governing areas of limited statehood. In particular we focus on the emergence of voluntary grassroots organizations in Palestine and describe how regimes of international development aid transformed these organizations into professional non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that created new forms of colonial control. Based on in-depth interviews with 145 NGO members and key stakeholders and a historical analysis of limited statehood in Palestine, we found that social relations became disembedded from the local context and re-embedded in new relations with international donor organizations resulting in a depoliticized public sphere. NGOization of the economy also resulted in new forms of exclusion and inclusion as well as contestations between a new class of urban middle class professionals working in NGOs and the older generation of activists that were involved in grassroots organizations. Our findings have implications for business and human rights and governance in areas of limited statehood, in particular how private actors like NGOs are able to exercise power in the economy

Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly

In this article I critically analyze contemporary discourses of corporate social responsibility and related discourses of sustainability and corporate citizenship. I argue that despite their emancipatory rhetoric, discourses of corporate citizenship, social responsibility and sustainability are defined by narrow business interests and serve to curtail interests of external stakeholders. I provide an alternate perspective, one that views discourses of corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability as ideological movements that are intended to legitimize and consolidate the power of large corporations. I also problematize the popular notion of organizational 'stakeholders'. I argue that stakeholder theory of the firm represents a form of stakeholder colonialism that serves to regulate the behavior of stakeholders. I conclude by discussing implications for critical management studies

Special issue on climate change and the emergence of new organizational landscapes

Climate change poses unique and profound challenges to organizations of every type, prompting a variety of organizational responses. The drastic depth of cuts in emissions of greenhouse gasses proposed by many governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is likely to require radical and fundamental shifts in socio-political structures, technological and economic systems, organizational forms, and modes of organizing (Hoffman 2005; Okereke 2007; Wittneben 2007). As a result, climate change is not just an environmental problem requiring technical and managerial solutions; it is a political arena in which a variety of organizations – state agencies, firms, industry associations, NGOs, and multilateral organizations – engage in contestation as well as collaboration over evolving regimes of governance (Levy and Egan 2003; Levy and Newell 2005). There is therefore an urgent need to better comprehend and theorize the transformative impact of climate change on the organizational landscape. This special issue aims to further our theoretical and empirical understanding of organizational implications of climate change. This includes the organizational impact of disruptive climate patterns and the evolving global and local policy response to the phenomenon as well as the opportunities and limits of current modes of organising on climate stabilization

Incidence of primary open angle glaucoma in the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS)

Background: To report 15-year incidence rate of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in the Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS). Methods: A population-based longitudinal study was carried out at three rural study sites. Phakic participants aged ≥40 years who participated at baseline (APEDS I) and the mean 15-year follow-up visit (APEDS III) were included. A comprehensive ophthalmic examination was performed on all participants. Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) was average of IOPs of right and left eyes. The definition of glaucoma was based on the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology (ISGEO) classification. The main outcome measure was incidence of POAG during the follow-up period in participants without glaucoma or suspicion of glaucoma at baseline. Results: Data from the available and eligible participants from the original cohort (1241/2790; 44.4%) were analysed. The mean age (standard deviation) of participants at baseline was 50.2 (8.1) years; 580 (46.7%) were men. Thirty-six participants developed POAG [bilateral in 17 (47.2%)] over 15 years. The incidence rate of POAG per 100-person years (95% confidence interval) was 2.83 (2.6, 3.08). Compared to baseline, the reduction in mean IOP [median (range) mm Hg] was −0.75 (−7.5, 9) in participants with incident POAG and −2.5 (−14.5, 14.5) in those without. The inter-visit difference in mean IOP was a significant risk factor on logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: We report the long-term incidence of POAG in rural India. A longitudinal change in IOP, specifically a less pronounced reduction in IOP with increasing age, was a novel risk factor

Mudanças sociais e gestão ecológica em questão: a experiência de mamirauá

Estudo sobre as mudanças sociais que envolveram as populações tradicionais desde a criação de uma unidade de conservação ambiental, no ano de 1990, na região do Médio Solimões, Amazônia brasileira, com o interesse de conservar uma área reconhecida como o maior ecossistema de várzea do mundo. A análise situa os produtores locais em relação ao mercado ecológico e aos agentes do desenvolvimento sustentável. O estudo se refere a 49 localidades da floresta alagada amazônica, com informações relativas aos anos de 1991 a 2006. A análise identifica os agentes sociais que integram o campo socioambiental que se constrói com as políticas de intervenção socioambiental.<br>Estudio sobre los cambios sociales que involucran a las poblaciones tradicionales mediante la creación de un ambiente protegido, en 1990, en el rio Solimões, Amazonia brasileña, en interés de la conservación de una zona reconocida como el ecosistema de humedal más grande del mundo . El análisis es los productores locales para el mercado y los agentes de desarrollo sostenible ecológico. El estudio se refiere a 49 ciudades en la selva amazónica inundada, que abarca los años 1991 a 2006. El análisis identifica los agentes sociales que integran el ámbito del medio ambiente, que se construye con políticas de intervención socioambiental.<br>Study on the social changes involving traditional population after the creation, in 1990, of an environmental conservation unit in the Mid-Solimões River, Brazilian Amazon aimed to conserve an area known as the largest wetland ecosystem in the world. The analysis places local producers in relation to the ecological market and agents of sustainable development. The study covers 49 localities of the Amazon flooded forest, with information obtained between 1991 and 2006. The analysis identifies the social agents who integrate the socio environmental field constructed with social environmental intervention policies